Step 1: Materials and sword

This is the list of thing you would need:

- The sword (in this case it's made of wood, but can be of another material).
- A can of silver Spray Paint
- Old brushes (preferably not thick ones).
- 1 bottle of black acrylic paint
- 1 bottle of silver acrylic paint
- Newspapers

Optional:
- Transparent enamel

Step 2: Let's get started!

Paint the sword with the spray paint. This will be the basis to start giving it the effects.
When finished, let dry.

Step 3: Mix the paint

When it is dry, then you have to mix some black acrylic paint with a bit of the silver one for a dark silver tone.

Step 4: Grab paint

Having the mix, grab some mixed paint with the brush (the brush must be dry) and you take away the excess of paint until it is too little on the brush.

Step 5: Paint

After making sure the piece is dry, you have to see what areas are deeper or which areas in a metal sword look darker. This is where you start to apply brushstrokes as follows:

Fig.1: First press the brush with paint in the darkest place.
Fig.2: Drag the brush dropping a bit, from the darkest places to where it must look brighter.

This begins to look more real because of the effects of use. (Fig. 3)

* If you have holes or deeper areas, it is the same but from the inside out.

Step 6: Sharp

After letting it dry for a while, to make it look sharp, take silver acrylic paint with a clean brush and begin to paint a line following the path that is sharp. This is done in all places where it has edges.

That would be very interesting, because in that case, the metal sword must be painted with the color of the wood you are trying to make it look "made of". Then with the brush (a broad one) and a different color of brown, you paint the wood grain... that would be an interesting tutorial ;)

I like this Instructable. I am a sword nut, but can't afford the real deal. My wife keeps telling me to use my wood working skills to create my own sword - but they just don't look the same as a metal one. With this Instructable I believe I can achieve that effect. Thanks! (And my wife and my budget thank you!)